1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 254 You don't have any friends!

Chapter 254 You don't have any friends!
Theodore stared at John Doe for a moment:

“Last night at 8:30, you left home and walked north along the Potomac River, entering the southwest of DC via the 14th Street Bridge.”

"After you come down from the 14th Street Bridge, go onto 14th Street and head east until you reach 7th Street."

“You spent a few minutes browsing on 7th Street and quickly chose ‘Canary’.”

"You paid $25 as a deposit to buy 'Canary' for two hours."

Bernie handed him a paper bag from behind.

Theodore opened the paper bag, took out three banknotes, and spread them out on the table:

"Two $10 bills and one $5 bill."

"These two $10 bills were for the pimp 'Ant' Marino, and this $5 bill was a tip for 'Canary,' but 'Ant' Marino snatched it."

John Doe turned to look at Theodore, his expression one of surprise.

Theodore met his gaze and continued:

“You told ‘Canary’ that you were going to take her to the river, and that you had brought a boat and were going to take her boating.”

"Upon arriving at the river, instead of making a deal with 'Canary,' you told her about the accident that occurred on April 23, 1959."

"You stayed there until almost ten o'clock, and you finally finished revealing your deepest secret, ready to make your move."

"Then it was stopped."

John Doe lowered his gaze, staring at 'Canary's' testimony for several seconds in silence:

"Now that she's told you everything, what else do you want to ask me?"

Theodore corrected:
“‘Canary’ only tells the part after we met on 7th Street.”

John Doe looked puzzled.

Billy Hawke answered his questions:

“We’ll be waiting near your house after our conversation last night.”

"We'll follow you after you leave."

"Otherwise, how could we possibly have appeared so coincidentally just as you finished telling your little secrets and were about to make our move?"

Theodore pushed his statement forward a bit:

“You told ‘Canary’ that the actual person who performed the repairs on that accident was you, not Danny Brown.”

Upon hearing Danny Brown's name, John Doe shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Danny Brown changed his mind at the last minute, believing he lacked experience and backed out before boarding the ship."

"It was your negligence that caused the pressure gauge to malfunction, resulting in the leakage of high-temperature steam and the burns to Danny Brown."

"After the accident, in order to avoid being held accountable, you altered the work records, destroyed the maintenance order you signed, and changed the maintenance personnel back to Danny Brown."

"Only after you've done all that should you send someone to rescue Danny Brown."

"Because of your delay, Danny Brown suffered severe burns and died that night."

“Since the maintenance order is submitted only after the maintenance is completed, and the work record has been altered by you, no one but you knows what happened in the boiler room that day.”

John Doe retorted in a low voice:

"He filled out the inspection form for that ship, and he signed it."

"Moreover, many people at the shipyard know that he will be the one to oversee the repairs of that ship."

Billy Hawke stared at him for a moment:

“That’s not what you said to ‘Canary’ last night.”

John Doe glanced at 'Canary's' statement and shook his head:
"That was a lie."

Billy Hawke suspected that he was being treated like an idiot.

Theodore flipped to a page of his work log and handed it over:
"This is the work record for April 23, 1959."

"After examination by handwriting experts in the bureau's laboratory, it has been confirmed that all the records on this page were written by you."

He then produced a freshly issued handwriting analysis report and showed it to John Doe:
"You tried your best to imitate the handwriting of different people, but your personal writing habits are still obvious."

"You're used to writing the tail of 'J' as a circle, connecting them together, and when 'I' and 'L' are next to each other, you're used to writing them as the same 'l', and tilting them to the right."

"And the 'O', you're used to writing it like a 'Q'..."

John Doe's gaze followed Theodore's pointing fingers, shifting back and forth across the report, his expression turning grim.

Theodore pulled out another crumpled inspection form and pointed to the signature area:

"And this inspection report."

"Upon examination, the signature on this document was also forged by you."

"The one crossed out below is Danny Brown's signature."

"You're planning to pretend that Danny Brown misspelled his own name, cross it out, and sign it again."

John Doe pushed aside the inspection form and fell silent again.

He did not go mad, nor did he show any obvious abnormality after the secret was revealed.

Theodore then brought up photos of the four deceased:

"After the accident, you felt guilty and uneasy."

"You killed Danny Brown."

John Doe countered:

"I didn't! It wasn't me!"

Theodore ignored him and continued:

“You rejected the shipyard’s recommended apprentices; they reminded you of Danny Brown.”

"You feel like you can't take it anymore, you need to vent and catch your breath."

John Doe glanced at Theodore in surprise, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Theodore pointed to the photo of the fourth victim:

"You don't dare tell your colleagues."

“Once you tell your colleagues, the whole shipyard will soon know that Danny Brown’s death was caused by your negligence.”

"Your skills will be questioned."

"Can someone who can't even tell that a pressure gauge is malfunctioning really solve all sorts of difficult problems with boilers?"

"You will be fired, just like you are now."

"A shipyard doesn't need someone who can't even detect a malfunctioning pressure gauge."

"You will be held accountable, and may even be taken to court."

“The shipyard will demand compensation for your losses, and Danny Brown’s family will also demand that you be held responsible for Danny Brown’s death.”

John Doe couldn't help but loudly retort:
"You don't understand! You don't understand anything at all!"

"That wasn't an oversight! The boiler system on that wrecked ship was due for a major overhaul long ago!"

"Even if it wasn't me that day, anyone else could have had an accident!"

Theodore remained calm:
"But in the end, it was you who signed the inspection form."

"A malfunctioning pressure gauge is not a difficult problem to solve; it's a problem that any ordinary apprentice could spot."

John Doe was about to argue, but Theodore wasn't going to give him the chance:

"You want to talk to a friend, but you don't have any."

"You want to tell your wife, Maggie Doe."

"But I'm worried that she won't approve of what you did if she finds out."

“You think she might not only not understand you, but might even call the police.”

"You are afraid that she will leave you, afraid that an accident caused by your negligence will lead to the fall apart of your family."

John Doe fell silent.

Theodore continued:

"In the end, you chose to find a prostitute."

“You treated her like Maggie Doy and easily revealed all your deepest secrets.”

"You feel like you can finally catch your breath."

"Then you start to worry that the prostitute will reveal your secrets." "So you kill her, wrap her in a waterproof tarpaulin, tie her with rope, attach gears to her, and throw her into the river along with your shameful little secrets."

"You think this is a good way to vent."

"Prostitution is a high-risk profession, and the women are marginalized. Even if they go missing, no one will look for them."

"They are also very good listeners, and they don't know you at all. They know nothing about you, so they will listen to whatever you say."

"They will do anything you ask of them, as long as you are willing to spend money."

"Instead of making demands on you, or even questioning and contradicting you, like your wife Maggie Doe."

…………

Southwest DC, at the intersection of M Street and 5th Street, in front of the terminal bar.

Marino, dressed in his oversized, old-fashioned suit, sat in the purple car, looking around and occasionally greeting familiar colleagues.

Whenever asked why he didn't go inside, he would just wave his hand, looking deep in thought.

A police car was approaching from a distance.

"Ant" Marino pulled "Canary" out of the car and blocked the police car.

The police car did not slow down and drove straight toward him.

'Ant' Marino quickly stepped aside and pushed 'Canary' out.

The canary screamed in fright.

Amid screams, the police car came to a stop.

Walter Pritchett angrily got out of the car, grabbed 'Ant' Marino by the collar, and slammed him against a lamppost.

He gave 'Ant' Marino a fierce warning:

"Listen up! If you dare do that again, I'll hang you on the back of the car and tow you to the dock!"

'Ant' Marino swallowed hard and asked Walter Pritchett:

"How?"

He pulled on the 'canary':
"Should we push her in front of the car, or block your vehicle?"

Walter Pritchett glanced at the trembling 'canary,' snorted, released her, and turned to walk toward the police car.

The pimps and girls coming and going around them were already used to it.

They pointed and whispered among themselves, wondering if "Ant" had once again sent "Canary" to entertain some strange guest, which was why Officer Pritchett was so angry.

Some of those who witnessed the two of them stopping the car explained the situation to the others in a low voice.

'Ant' Marino stops Walter Pritchett.

Another officer in the car whistled.

Walter Pritchett's face darkened.

'Ant' Marino pulled 'Canary' over and used his other hand to lift her chin, forcing her to expose the bruises on her neck.

He twisted 'Canary's' chin back and forth, showing everyone the bruises, and then shouted:

"I want to see 'Dad'!"

"He promised our girls would be safe!"

"But just yesterday, 'Canary' was attacked and almost killed!"

"This is the security you promised!"

Walter Pritchett stared at 'Ant' Marino without saying a word.

Another officer in the car became serious.

He leaned over:
“Walter, this is a rule set by ‘Old Man,’ we have to take him with us.”

Walter Pritchett was somewhat irritated.

He grabbed 'Ant' Marino by the collar and warned him sternly:

"Watch your mouth! Remember what you should say and what you shouldn't say!"

"otherwise……"

He pointed to the back of the car.

He stared into 'Ant' Marino's eyes for several seconds before letting go.

The police car sped along and soon arrived at the Seventh Precinct's Vestiblings Division.

There are many pimps and prostitutes coming and going here, so these two are not conspicuous at all.

Walter Pritchett arrived at Stan Watson's office door with "Ant" Marino and "Canary".

He glanced at the two of them, knocked on the door, and only entered after receiving permission.

Stan Watson's gaze swept over Walter Pritchett and 'Canary' before settling on 'Ant' Marino.

The office fell into a long silence.

The three people stood there, heads slightly bowed, even their breathing becoming soft.

Stan Watson nodded in satisfaction and asked Walter Pritchett:
"Why did you bring them here?"

Walter Pritchett pointed to 'Ant' Marino:

He wants to see you.

Stan Watson looked at 'Ant' Marino.

'Ant' Marino swallowed hard and lifted 'Canary's' chin again:
"She was almost killed last night."

Stan Watson paused for a few seconds before slowly speaking:
“Marino, you need to know that this is how it is; it’s full of danger.”

"What if you get hit by a car and die as soon as you walk out of the police station? Do you expect me to take responsibility then?"

"This is not an insurance company."

Walter Pritchett grinned at 'Ant' Marino, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

'Ant' Marino hesitated for a moment:
"I know the rules."

"But this was not caused by an ordinary guest."

"This was done by that guy who specializes in killing prostitutes!"

Walter Pritchett looked at the two of them in surprise.

Stan Watson looked up:
"Who?"

'Ant' Marino looked at Stan Watson:

"That guy who specializes in killing prostitutes."

Stan Watson glanced at 'Canary' and confirmed with 'Ant' Marino:

"Did she run into that murderer?"

'Ant' Marino nodded:
"She would have been killed if it weren't for those three FBI agents."

“‘Dad,’ I absolutely respect you and have always followed the rules you set. I have always paid the protection money on time every week without ever delaying or owing even a penny.”

"What you promised back then..."

Stan Watson waved his hand, stopping him from continuing.

He pointed at Walter Pritchett, then at 'Ant' Marino:

"Make a note of this; he doesn't need to pay next week's bill."

"Ant" Marino wants to get more," Stan Watson's face darkened.

Walter Pritchett grinned menacingly and asked 'Ant' Marino:

"Should we stop paying altogether from now on?"

'Ant' Marino wasn't afraid of him, and nudged the 'Canary' beside him:
“That’s not what I meant, ‘Dad,’ I was…”

Stan Watson waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him.

Marino, the 'Ant', was somewhat unwilling, but dared not say anything more, and dragged the staggering 'Canary' out of the office.

Walter Pritchett was about to leave when Stan Watson stopped him.

He stared at Walter Pritchett for a moment: